Environmental group challenges air permit request

By Kate Murphy / Times-News

Published: Friday, August 2, 2013 at 04:33 PM.

GRAHAM — A Graham company is asking the state to modify its air permit and an environmental watchdog group is contesting it.

New South Lumber Co. says the permit change would allow it to increase its production and that it is well below allowable arsenic levels now, a statement that seems to be backed up by state regulators.

Blue Ridge Environmental Defense League is asking state regulators to hold a public hearing on the request.

Located in Graham, New South Lumber Co. is requesting a modification to its Title V air permit with the renewal of its permit. The company is asking for a permit modification because it says its production is inhibited by limits on its permit set by the state Environmental Management Commission, a spokeswoman for the company said.

“Our Title 5 permit is up for renewal and the only change we want to make is to have those fuel limits removed,” said Debbie Sand, director of human resources at New South Lumber Co.. “We burn our own biomass (bark and sawdust leftovers) as part of energy efficiency and we had limits on how much we can burn.”

The company’s request would increase the limit for levels of arsenic by nine times the amount now allowed by New South Lumber’s permit.

“It would mean an increase in arsenic in the air,” said Beverly Kerr, associate director of the Blue Ridge Environmental Defense League. “The state is trying to lower it because the businesses have not been able to meet the requirements. So instead of holding them to the regulation and forcing the businesses to meet the limit, they are lowering them.”

GRAHAM — A Graham company is asking the state to modify its air permit and an environmental watchdog group is contesting it.

New South Lumber Co. says the permit change would allow it to increase its production and that it is well below allowable arsenic levels now, a statement that seems to be backed up by state regulators.

Blue Ridge Environmental Defense League is asking state regulators to hold a public hearing on the request.

Located in Graham, New South Lumber Co. is requesting a modification to its Title V air permit with the renewal of its permit. The company is asking for a permit modification because it says its production is inhibited by limits on its permit set by the state Environmental Management Commission, a spokeswoman for the company said.

“Our Title 5 permit is up for renewal and the only change we want to make is to have those fuel limits removed,” said Debbie Sand, director of human resources at New South Lumber Co.. “We burn our own biomass (bark and sawdust leftovers) as part of energy efficiency and we had limits on how much we can burn.”

The company’s request would increase the limit for levels of arsenic by nine times the amount now allowed by New South Lumber’s permit.

“It would mean an increase in arsenic in the air,” said Beverly Kerr, associate director of the Blue Ridge Environmental Defense League. “The state is trying to lower it because the businesses have not been able to meet the requirements. So instead of holding them to the regulation and forcing the businesses to meet the limit, they are lowering them.”

The state Division of Air Quality says some recent epidemiological studies that analyze the patterns, causes, and effects of health and disease conditions in certain populations suggest that the arsenic limit in North Carolina is more stringent than necessary to protect health.

“The proposal came from within our staff,” said Tom Mather, public information officer for the Division of Air Quality. “They keep up with all the research on these pollutants and make recommendations.

“The state has a scientific advisory board, a staff with backgrounds in health, toxicology and scientific disciplines and they came to the conclusion that recent studies indicate that our limits on arsenic are more stringent than they need to be since 1990 when the original limits were set.”

The Blue Ridge Environmental Defense League says it isn’t appropriate for the state to increase the limits on harmful emissions.

“The state is trying to increase the levels of arsenic nine-fold and the New South Lumber Company wants to take advantage of that increase in arsenic,” Kerr said. “And we’re concerned that the people in the community don’t realize what they are breathing in.”

The Blue Ridge group has requested a public hearing to discuss New South Lumber Co.’s request for a permit modification because of air quality concerns, specifically concerning arsenic emissions.

NEW SOUTH LUMBER is asking for the new limit because it is would be less strict and would allow the company to increase its production. The company has also asked that the production limit in its current permit be lifted.

Sand said the plant isn’t close to reaching permissible limits on arsenic now.

Figures from the Division of Air Quality show that the company has been under its limit for arsenic each year since an arsenic limit was placed on its permit in 2010.

“The restrictions are unnecessary because our levels are so low we wouldn’t violate the state limit anyway so there’s there point in having them,” Sand said. “There would just be a little bit less reporting and paperwork.”

The process for permit modification is lengthy and involves much communication between the company and the NC Department of Environment and Natural Resources.

“They have to submit a permit application and then we review it and make requests from the company such as analyses for emissions of chlorine and other air toxins and compounds that have been shown to have health effects in the air.

If those reports indicate that the emissions are outside the acceptable limits then the NCDENR develops a new draft permit, and the permit review process continues.

“The company has to demonstrate through modeling (computer analysis of emissions) that they can meet these limits,” Mather said, “and the way that’s enforced is through reporting data.

“We haven’t had any recent issues with New South Lumber Company in terms of violations and no problems with them meeting their requirements.”